ABSTRACT
“Read the book. Before you do anything, read the whole book!” With these words, the late Sgt. Rudy Ortega of the Unsolved Unit, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, summed it up. Before you begin to investigate a cold case, read the case file to see what you have and what’s already been done. As you do so, you will begin to reconstruct the case and formulate an investigative plan in your mind. You will read what is known about the victim, and about the circumstances of the crime. You will read how it was initially handled, who responded, and what was learned in the initial investigation. You may readily identify a weakness in the investigation—perhaps witnesses who appear to be less than truthful or may have been holding back, or identification of evidence that may now offer more potential due to advanced technology. As you do so, your experience will begin to identify any potential gaps, areas that you may seek to fill.
